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REAL AND ENVISAGED CHANCES OF BEING APPREHENDED--A STUDY OF POLICE SURVEILLANCE IN TRAFFIC

Despite the substantial increase in police checks, studies carried out in eleven police districts reveal that the chance of being apprehended by the police is very slight. On average, a motorist can drive for 30,000 km in Norway before encountering a police checkpoint. Even at the most frequently employed radar checkpoints the chance of a driver travelling at excessive speed being apprehended is less than one in a thousand. The foregoing not withstanding, about 60% of motorists believe the chance of being apprehended to be very great or great. The chance of running into a radar check has also become a factor to be reckoned with in the minds of most motorists. Only 7.9% (of 2811 respondents) declared that they never gave a thought to radar checks while driving. This means that the chance of being apprehended is greatly overestimated by drivers, regardless of their annual mileage and whether they are old or young. A driver's attitude to motoring offences is instrumental in determining whether he or she is likely to exceed prescribed speed limits. Other contributory factors include the road environment and traffic conditions and what a driver considers the hazards of a particular traffic situation to be. /Author/